M1a1 original serial number range or not?

It is an Inland, right? They were the only original maker for para-carbines.

It could be an original stock with some other type of carbine. Remember that these were in service through Viet Nam. between upgrades, cannibalization, etc. its hard to know for sure.

Per both Canfield and Ian, Inland kept no records of which carbines were given paratrooper stocks.

I have a book around here somewhere that gives a range of serial number 'blocks`, 3 IIRC, that the Inland M1A1`s could have been assembled in. If your SN falls in one of the blocks it could have been an original para. I have a 5 digit Inland (barrel date 10-42) that falls in the first block of numbers.

M1A1s are without a doubt the most faked version of the M-1 carbine. A real one will be an Inland, as NIGHTLORD40K has mentioned. Another dead giveaway is the butt plate. A real one will have numbers, cast into the back side of the butt plate, that are rather hard to decipher. Fake ones will have stamped numbers, or none at all.

The Arsenal Museum has several of them

The 1950s US Army/USAF tech manual lists the M2 stock as prefered in refurbishing M1 Carbines, with the standard M1 stock second, and the M1A1 folding stock least preferred. The manual does give instruction on disassembly, inspection, repair and reassembly of the M1A1 to eliminate wobble in the folder.

An original Inland M1 Carbine may have left the factory in an M1A1 stock, but ended up with a M1 or M2 stock, and its M1A1 folding stock refurbished and ending up years later recycled to an M1 or M2 Carbine made by any one of a dozen WWII original makers or by one of the post war commercial or military makers. Advisors in VietNam often used M2 Carbines in M1A1 stocks. The 1966 Small Arms of the World illustrates an M2 in a M1A1 stock.

M1A1s are without a doubt the most faked version of the M-1 carbine.
I am tempted to have my repro M1A1 folding stock stamped on the inside as REPLICA. I would hate to feel obligated to return to haunt a fraudulent reseller.

Carl N. Brown said:

M1A1s are without a doubt the most faked version of the M-1 carbine.
I am tempted to have my repro M1A1 folding stock stamped on the inside as REPLICA. I would hate to feel obligated to return to haunt a fraudulent reseller.

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That is one of the most humble and humanitarian things I have seen in print in a long time. And one I'm in total agreement with.

tark said:

Fake ones will have stamped numbers, or none at all.

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There are fakes out there with cast-in numbers. Some of those were easy to spot, they were cast in pot metal. Later copies have enough mild steel to be magnetic.